Petals & Poison
by Shrapnel893
Summary: The Village Hidden in the Mist has just appointed its new head, Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage, not too long ago. Lady Tsunade sends two shinobi; her assistant Shizune and an ANBU Black Ops member, on a diplomatic mission of mutual agreement. Along the way, they will face issues of a still divided nation, their own feelings, and the mystery of the Akatsuki lurking in the shadows.
1. Assignment

**|. Assignment**

Lady Tsunade sighed, head in hands, annoyed at having to get up so early in the morning just for writing reports and looking at village statistics. Her eyes went from paper to paper scattered across the desk, until finally they rested on the one she wanted. It was for a diplomatic mission to the Land of Water. She sighed again and put on her reading glasses even though she had no need to do so. Skimming it, she sighed for a third time and set it back down. Now looking at the two-man team assigned to the mission, she knew she was going to miss _not_ having to get up for tea for awhile. Shizune, her personal assistant, was waiting patiently with her hands clasped in front of herself, ready as always. Right beside her was the ANBU Black Ops member that was to accompany her on the mission — or, he was supposed to be. "Late..." The Fifth Hokage grumbled breathlessly, not upset over his tardiness. He was new, and plus, it gave her a chance to doze off...

Next to Shizune, literally coming out of her shadow, was a dark form that quickly materialized into a shrouded individual wearing a feline-style porcelain mask, white with blue stripes. He stood there for a moment before Shizune cleared her throat to get the Fifth's attention. Lady Tsunade woke with a start and slammed her fist on the desk. She immediately calmed down upon realizing where she was and stood up. She glared at the ANBU member then nodded at his attire.

"You can remove your shroud and mask, you won't be needing them for this mission. They'll draw too much attention."

The ANBU member obeyed and striped down to the ANBU's standard black outfit and overlaying gray flak, when the Fifth shook her head and told him to switch out the ANBU attire for regular Konohagakure shinobi attire. As he melted back into the shadows, appearing mere minutes later in the requested attire, she nodded her approval and leaned on one of many windowsills overlooking the village. A few more moments elapsed until she finally opened her mouth to speak again.

"The two of you will be the emissaries to Kirigakure to meet with its current Mizukage, the Fifth, Mei Terumī. This will be a mission of political importance, as the Fifth Mizukage has made strenuous attempts at reaching out to the other nations for support and mutual relations. I've decided it best to personally send two from the village to accept her offers in person. Obviously, that is why the two of you are here." Her eyes went to Shizune first. "Shizune, you are in charge, I expect you to return with definitive results and a positive outcome," they then shifted to the ANBU member, "and Iwao, you are her escort. You already know what is expected of you. Now," she sat back down and folded her arms over the desk, "the rest is up to the two of you."

"Yes, Fifth Hokage!" the two of them said in unison, both bowing deeply and leaving the room. Leading the way was Shizune.

She chewed gently on her bottom lip, careful not to let her eyes wander to the dark haired man beside her. The ANBU reported directly to the Hokage, she was well aware of the fact, yet she'd never actually seen one who was actively on duty without their mask. It was a symbol in itself, and, before she knew it, she was studying his face. Blue eyes, slight stubble, young face, the very faint scar that ran down his temple on the right side, slight tan tint of his skin, and between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, she guessed. Slumping forward, she immediately wished she were that young again. Yet, here she was, having hit thirty a few months prior, and already on her way to being considered middle-aged. A slight frowned formed on her lips and the expression made the ANBU member glance over.

"Something the matter?" he asked, his voice quiet yet clear as water.

The frown quickly turned into a thin smile and she waved his potential worry away with a hand. "It's nothing, really, I'm just thinking about the mission." He nodded and she sighed to the side, her eyes on the wall now. At least _they_ were older than her. As they came to the front entrance, the morning light for the sun illuminating the entrance brightly ahead, the ANBU member looked at her again.

Iwao wondered where such a beautiful woman had come from, certainly not from around these parts. She must have been from one of the smaller outlying villages, where the stresses of the main village weren't a problem. Her skin was fair and without spots of any kind. Hair black, same as the eyes, and straight, framing her face and enhancing her slender build in her Konohagakure shinboi uniform. He didn't know what to the think of the sleeves, which were extra-long and rather distracting. No forehead protector. His eyes went down to his own fastened around the neck, at the nicks and dents, along with the engraving of Konohagakure's symbol. His Will of Fire. This time, it was Shizune's turn to glance over.

"Anything on your mind you'd like to share, Iwao...?" She couldn't recall his last name, though knew that Iwao probably wasn't even his real first name, and turned red, from unprofessional embarrassment.

His eyes were still on his forehead protector as he responded, "I'm fine, Lady Shizune." He tilted his head towards it, unfastening and re-fastening it onto his left shoulder and presenting it to her. "It's worn down..." Smiling now, he was about move his arm back to his side when she reached out. He tensed and clenched a fist, a reflex in preparation for someone with a lethal hidden instrument. Immediately, he relaxed and felt ashamed as Shizune clearly had no intentions of harm. Her fingers traced around the metal band.

"Certainly, it's been through many things," she observed, suddenly jumping back, her face red, again. "Ah! I'm sorry, I just—!"

"Don't worry over it, Lady Shizune." He rotated the shoulder and stretched his back muscles. "It's seen many things." He nodded at her. "And where, if I may ask, is yours? Do you not wear one?"

Shizune didn't meet his eyes, fiddling with her fingers, "Ah, yes, I chose not to wear one, but if I'm required to then I always do. Is there a problem with that?" She saw him blink from the corner of her eye.

"No, not at all. Just curious..." His eyes wandered to the village gate's exit as they were approaching. "The mission, I will guard you with my life, you can count on that. This forehead protector, think of it as a symbol of my promise, my duty."

Shizune responded with a nod. Lady Tsunade was counting on the two of them to complete this mission with the most desirable outcome possible, and, even if it cost her own life, she would carry it out to the letter. No slip-ups, no mistakes. As they passed the gates, though, she couldn't help but glance back at her escort. The way he smiled always held a certain sadness. That had been the reason for her nearly inappropriate grasping on his arm, the inspecting of his forehead protector; she had wanted to reach out and encourage him, take that sadness away. Involuntarily, of course. Again, she realized she was staring and quickly turned to the side. Her rudeness was unacceptable and she didn't know what to say as they were now surrounded by nothing but trees and the chirping of birds. Their journey together was going to be a tedious one, she could feel it.

After a time of walking in silence together they came to a fork in road. The sign had three places of destination: two small villages to the west, one larger town to the east. The way to Kirigakure was east.

"It would be best to avoid the town if we take this path. There's an inn a couple of miles past it, we should take the extra time before sundown to reach it." Receiving a nod of agreement, Shizune started down their chosen path, listening the sounds of their footsteps on the dirt. The way it crunched, anything to keep her mind off that expression of his. Looking towards the trees, she couldn't rule out the possibility of an ambush, even within the Land of Fire territory.

From what she remembered, there was still strong opposition as to the Fifth Mizukage's methods. Remnants of the Fourth, and other shady organizations. With a shake of her head, she slapped her cheeks and huffed. Now wasn't the time to be wondering about what's yet to come. No one from outside the village would know of their diplomatic mission. At least, there were no traitors she knew of in Konohagakure's ranks — and yet... no, there wasn't. She shouldn't think as she was now, of her allies. Trusting them was important, especially now with all that's been going on in the past two years. Most of all — Orochimaru and... the new one yet to fully reveal itself. All the information they had was the name. _Akatsuki._ Two of its members... Itachi Uchiha, formerly of Konohagakure, and Kisame Hoshigaki, formerly of Kirigakure, their destination. Hopefully, she'd be able to uncover more information — if not of the Akatsuki, then perhaps Kisame Hoshigaki. Though, right now, her main duty was negotiating a beneficial agreement with the Fifth Mizukage, anything else was secondary. Her eyes wandered to Iwao. His attention was on the path they were taking; trees, birds, grass — anything and everything. Alert and cautious, moving with fluidity and purpose. Why Lady Tsunade had chosen only him to accompany her, she must've had a definitive reason.

"The town is up ahead," she stated, the entrance visible from a longer distance than she'd first thought. Too caught up in her musings to notice, she summarized. "Our best course of action is to go straight through, going around would take too much time at the pace we're traveling now, and, besides, we can grab something hot to eat as we travel the rest of the way to inn."

"And if something goes wrong once we're in the town?"

Shizune smiled sadly. "If we can help it, ignore it..."

"As you say."

Coming up to the entrance, two guards greated them, but didn't take any further action as they didn't need to. Once inside, the two traveling companions looked at the various shops and kiosks as they walked past people going about their daily business. Looking down one of the alleyways, Shizune caught sight of a female dog defendings its young from a group of children. They were taunting and trying to coax the mother away, throwing small stones and waving sticks.

"A stray..." Iwao commented. His fist was clenched at his side, eyes glued on the scene.

Shizune could sense his urge to intervene, "Remember what—" There was a yelp as one of the children hit the mother on the side of the head and she furrowed her brow. "We aren't here to—" The same child kicked the dazed animal. She stopped in her tracks. "Actually, nevermind." Stomping forward, she went to the entrance of the alleyway. "_Hey!_ You brats! Stop what you're doing and leave those dogs alone!" She shouted, fist raised. The children turned and ran, sticking out their tongues and shouting insults — the worst of all being _old hag. _Seething, she slowly approached the female dog and her young. The mother growled, saliva dripping from her mouth, teeth bared, eyes hostile. Iwao stepped in front of her. "_No, stay back!_ I mean, please move aside, they're harmless..." Iwao obliged and she held out her hand once she got close enough. The mother was still weary, but after a moment concided and bowed her head, coming forward to lick her savior's palm. Crouching down, Shizune scratched her ears. The dog whimpered in pain, but didn't recoil. Her young gathered around her. Easing her hands over the mother's head injury, she closed the wound with her medical ninjutsu and rubbed under her chin. "Good girl..." Placing a hand on the dog's side, she healed the second injury as well. As a thank-you, she received a few licks on the hand. "All better." Standing up, she turned to Iwao and smiled warmly. The mother and her young scurried off, glancing back before disappearing deeper into the alleyway. "Ready to continue?"

As they made their way out of the town, Shizune watched him as he walked in front of her. The way he'd reacted to the children's harassment... no, the way he'd reacted to the female dog and her young. She glanced down at the hand she'd used to heal her. If only she could find what and where her companion's wounds were, and, if possible, heal them, as well.

**—-—-—**

The way the water rippled on the side of the inn's pond in the back, how it shimmered and muddled his reflection, eased what guilt-free conscious he still possessed. The tension and strife he always tried to hold back became less, during the times he stared into a water's depths. The silence as he sat outside helped to further ease these feelings, and yet, he still felt unsure, uneasy — that the path he decided upon was something he wasn't meant to do, that he should have died back then instead of everyone else. Though, as he ran a finger along the scar on his temple, he knew those thoughts would only be an insult to those that died.

"Are you usually this brooding when alone by yourself?" Shizune asked in a quiet voice and he didn't have to take a quick glance to see her a few meters away, slender figure in the inn's doorway. He could even see her worried expression, which seemed to upset the ripples in the water even more, as if they were reacting to her nature. He let the silence elapse for a few moments more before responding just as quietly.

"Most of the time I try not to think at all."

"Do you not want to be here?" The question wasn't meant to be answered. The way she presented it, she was asking if he felt himself better off dead. That he had died in the place of the others instead of their lives for his. She had quickly caught and isolated the brooding aura of his, and he expected no less from the Hokage's personal assistant. Not only beautiful, but intelligent. He saw her faintly smile sadly and look away, "Ah, I'm sorry. That was rude of me. I just couldn't stand seeing you so depressed, that my bodyguard wasn't at his brightest and best. Again, I'm truly sorry... I—"

"There's no need for you to apologize, Lady Shizune, because you're right. As you have already figured out, I _don't_ want to be here. I don't want to live with the memories of this guilt I hold, but I know that I also can't just throw these feelings away and end my life. I need to live on because of these feelings."

Shizune came up and sat down next to him at the pond, her eyes on the water as it now cast both their reflections, the ripples making them appear as waves themselves — little tides of imperfection. "Then, do you hate yourself?" And, before he could answer, "Well, you shouldn't. There is no reason for you to hate the person you were and the person you are now." She reached over and, gently, rested his head on her shoulder. "No matter what happened to you in the past, no matter what you've had to endure, the people who cared about you will all their heart wouldn't want to see you gloomy. Least of all, wanting to end your own life because of self-imposed guilt."

"I'm sorry, Lady Shizune..."

"You shouldn't apologize to me. What I think you should do, and what they would've thought you should do, is life your life with no regrets, no anguish of what's already said and done..." Shizune let go of him and stood put after a moment. "I'm heading back inside, don't stay out here too long or you won't get enough sleep for tommorrow's journey. We're going to hasten our pace from now on. I need you in top condition for that."

"Yes, Lady Shizune..."

Closing the door to her room, Shizune felt her heart racing. She did again, something rude and unbecoming. Like back when Lady Tsunade was lost in her grief for her little brother and her uncle. Only, this time, she felt like a mother comforting her child, not an student scolding her teacher or a subordinate berating her master. She clutched at her nightgown, clasping her fingers where her heart lay. She felt it beat, blood pumping through the veins and arteries. The young man named Iwao, her traveling companion, her escort, she desperately wanted to help him. Cure his pains. Sooth his heart. Be at his side to heal him. Something... more... than what her professionalism would allow, and she...

Didn't know the proper emotion to call what she felt deep down. At least, she didn't want to admit what is was to herself. At least, until she delved into the rest of his cage called a heart. Yes... it was...

_Affection._


	2. Journey

**||. Journey**

"Here's your tea."

"Thank you." Shizune took the tea in her hands and blew gently. Mucky green waves slowly crashed against the white edges of the cup, coming back when she lifted it to her mouth. Sweetness touching her tongue, she set it down and smiled. An image of Lady Tsunade in her office, alone, fingers rapping on her desk in boredom, came to her then. _And without tea, too,_ she thought, looking down at her own cup. She let a sigh escape her lungs and turned her attention to the draping hanging by the entrance to the tea-house. It was blue. Standing right in front of it was her escort, arms crossed and gaze on the road. "Are you sure you don't want any before we head out?" She frowned when he turned an eye towards her.

"Sorry, Lady Shizune, I'm not a tea drinker."

"Water, then?"

"I can acquire some later, right now I want to focus o—"

"One water please," Shizune called out to the server, the young woman bowing and hurrying off into the back to get a glass. She came back a moment later, glass in hand, and set it on the table.

"Here you are, ma'am."

"Thank you, again." They smiled at one another and she turned back to Iwao. "Come over here and sit down, that's an order."

"Yes, Lady Shizune." Iwao materialized directly across from her, eyes going to the glass of water.

Shizune closed her eyes, taking another sip of her tea. Waiting a moment more, she nodded at the glass. "Well? It's not going to disappear the longer you stare at it like that. Might as well drink it now, before it gets any less colder..."

"Sorry, Lady Shizune... I—"

Another sip. "And quit apologizing already. I told you that you didn't have to do that anymore, alright? Saying sorry to me is going to do nothing for you, especially over not drinking a glass of water." She took a fourth sip, one eye open.

"S— you're right," Iwao replied, taking the glass in hand. His finger curled around it tightly, and, almost immediately, his expression softened. "What's the next course of action?"

"_Drink._"

It was gone in one swig. A few drops on his chin were absorbed a moment later, vanishing as if they were never there to begin with. "You said we'd be increasing our pace to the Land of Water yesterday. If so, then why are we just sitting here? Shouldn't our main concern be..."

"And it still is. Sometimes, though, it's nice to rest and take in the surroundings. After we finish here, it's straight on without any stops. Which, is why we're here." Handing her empty tea cup to the server, she waved a hand at the map she'd spread out on the table. A finger rested on a spot near the edge of the Land of Fire's border, roughly a few leagues from the Land of Water. "This is where we are, and," the finger slide towards her, now on a small island off the coast, "this the Land of Whirlpools. I was thinking of continuing along the coast, starting here. We can avoid any potential trouble that way. From there," her finger ran along the coast to the peninsula directly across from the Land of Water, "we go here. There is a port town there that will have boats." She waited for his eyes to scan the route then rolled the map back up and stuck it into one of her flak jacket's pouches. "At the very least, it'll take us two more days to get there, so you should enjoy yourself while you can."

"I understand." As she got up and stretched, his eyes went to the pouch were she'd put the map in. "And the reason you don't want to take any of the bridges is because they'll attract too much attention."

"No, I just like boat rides better than walking, when available." She saw him look away, a bit red in the cheeks. "Does that bother you?"

"N-no, Lady Shizune, it was just that I was staring too long..."

"Staring...?" She looked down at her flak jacket, the pouch containing the map, and made a face.

"At the pouch."

"Oh, that." Shizune let out a nervous laugh, face turned away. "It's... alright..." Shaking her head free of floating thoughts, she thanked the server and man at the back, and left the tea-house. Standing out in the middle of the road, she looked up at the sky. Dark grey clouds were all around. "It's going to rain soon, we need to get moving."

"Right away." Iwao was beside her then, and as they started their trek closer toward the coast, he focused his eyes back on her. "Lady Shizune, I'm truly—"

"Don't. Say. It." Her eyes were on the road, mouth contorted, and as she felt his eyes shift to the scenery, let out the air she'd been holding in her lungs. Her heart, it was racing again. She touched a sleeve concealed hand to her chest, and sighed. Her thoughts drifted to what his past must have been like to be apologizing almost constantly as he did.

He must have lost everything, once, or something very precious to him. _Someone._ Like she with her uncle. Remembering all the time she'd spend at his grave marker, wishing him to come back with each tear that hit the nameplate. Wishing that he hadn't die so soon, so suddenly. And, yet, she clenched the hand into a fist and walked a bit faster. Dan hadn't died in vain, she'd been able to come to really know Lady Tsunade. Grateful couldn't begin to describe her feelings. As she listened to sounds of his footsteps behind hers, she wanted with all her might to show him that no matter how that precious someone left the world, they still make it that much brighter through their past actions. If only... she could... find the proper way to do so.

When the two of them finally made it to the coast-line, the island that was the Land of Whirlpools out in the distance, Iwao checked the water. Warm, salty. Using his reserves of chakra, and placing his hand in the shallowest point he could find, he separated what he could of the salt and dumped the clear water into a flask, which he then stored in one of the many side pouches on his flak jacket. Standing to his feet again, he realized Shizune had been staring out at the island the whole time. Following her gaze, he felt something tighten in his chest. The Land of Whirlpools — decimated in the times of endless war many years prior. Only remaining was the island, and on it the Village Hidden among the Whirling Tides, Uzushiogakure, just a shell now. His eyes went from the island to the back of Shizune's flak jacket. A red swirl stitched into the fabric, as was standard of all of Konohagakure's flak jackets. The Uzushiogakure crest. On his uniform, not only was the symbol on his flak jacket's back, but also his clothing underneath, on the shoulders. Moving a fraction closer to her, he stopped when she lifted her hand to stay him.

"I'm fine." Her gaze lingered on the island a moment more, and then she turned to continue along the coast again. Keeping a steady pace, it was a long while until she finally spoke up again. "You're adept in the Water Element," an eye was trained on him, full of analytic deductions, "does that mean you have an affiliation with the Land of Water?"

He nodded. "That's correct."

"So, you're not originally from the Land of Fire or Konoha?"

He stopped then, eyes directly on her as she too stopped and turned around to face him. "I—"

She smiled. "It explains why Lady Tsunade sent you on this mission with me, if nothing else." And with that, she turned back around. "Come on, we still have a long way to go before we reach the port town."

"Yes, ma'am!"

Gripping the ends of her sleeves, Shizune wondered what his circumstances had been, especially now considering his connection to the Land of Water. Though, this connection didn't mean that there was also a connection to Kirigakure, and yet— no, now wasn't time to be wondering about his affiliations. He was loyal to her as a fellow Konohagakure shinobi, to Lady Tsunade as a direct subordinate as a member of ANBU, and just one of the many souls inhabiting the Land of Fire. No matter what his past may have been like, he was her ally through and through, there was no changing that fact. If she could cure his ailments, then maybe, perhaps, he could be something more to her, and as she dared to take a glance back, she knew she couldn't let her potential feelings get in the way of the mission. Of her professionalism. Yet, she wanted to be the key that opened the cage that was his lonely heart and free him of his guilts.


End file.
